About

This project is my personal and independent initiative. I have taken it up with perhaps too ambitious an objective to be warranted by my little means. Its objective is to build a website on Calcutta in olden times, providing a visual documentation of its social and cultural ethos spanning over three centuries prior to independence. The site is expected to reflect the story of the development of young Calcutta to its adulthood, transformation of its rustic countenance into a fashionable cosmopolitan city profile, and more importantly, the city’s coming into terms with Hindu orthodoxy, and on the other side, reckless westernization, in the process of bringing out a revolution leading to Bengal Renaissance.

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82 thoughts on “About”

Hi,
This a a very nice website with all the information. Thank you for sharing all the information.
I am a student of Architecture and was doing some research on the context of Victoria Memorial. Near the musical fountain of the Victoria Memorial there is a canal which I am not being able to figure out where it goes. So if you have any information regarding that and can provide with the same it would be very helpful.

Excuse me, Vinamra, for this delay. Apparantly the fountain is connected underground with basins of water. Lord Curzon mentioned in his book, British Government of India, (v.1) of two great basins of water, ‘originally irregular tanks or ponds’, but nothing about the fountain as such. For your answers I suggest first exploring documents, if any, left by Lord Redesdale and David Prain the two garden architects. Possibly you may find relevant materials in the Institutions of Engineer Library. If everything fails you may contact one of our great restoration architects for best guidance. Warm wishes

My maternal grandparents were from Calcutta. An old and well known family. I am full of appreciation & admiration for the scope of your work. Interesting & informative all well as beautifully blogged. Thank you.

Dear Ajantrik, I feel almost speechless for your website! I want to convey my heartfelt appreciation for your exquisite work! I am just curious to know who you are, if you please don’t mind. You don’t need to post my comment also but if you please, please can tell me in the email id I am giving here. Thanks a lot for your wonderful and perseverant work on kolkata! Splendid

Hi
Can you send me the link of any post you did on medical college kolkata. I would be very grateful if you could since I couldn’t find any.
If you havent done it yet I would be immensely indebted if you did.
Thanking you

I am researching my family tree and found, to my great surprise, that some of my ancestors lived in Calcutta in the late 1700s and early 1800s. One such was my direct ancestor William Barnfield, who seems to have arrived in India in 1787 and was a vestry clerk in the church, as well as a teacher in the charity school. He married an Anne Watson in 1793 in Calcutta, who it seems was the sister of James Watson, who would become Lieut. General Sir James Watson KCB, after soldiering in the 14th Regiment of Foot, and being based in Bengal for a lot of the time he was in India. He was briefly the Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in India in 1835, while still only a Major General, standing in for Lord Bentinck, I believe, who had to return to Britain for one reason or another.

William Barnfield may also have been the William Barnfield who was a trustee of the Lall Bazar Baptist Church that William Carey started. I am trying to find out more about William Barnfield – I have already scoured the Fibis.org website for mentions of him, as well as the Asiatic Journal. I have found a reference to him in the 1803 (I think it was that year, it was around that year, anyway) Bengal Directory, which mentions William Barnfield as both vestry clerk and “master in the charity school.” It seems that he may have become a merchant later on, along with his son, William Barnfield Jnr, and moved back to Britain in the 1820s. I would also like to find out definitively if Anne Watson, his first wife, was indeed a sister of James Watson. She died in 1804, and it seems William remarried in 1806 – this time an Elizabeth Nunn. She then seems to have died on the Circassian in 1825, just as it was leaving for Britain. William then seems to have been married a third time, to a Mary Sellers, in London, in 1827, and then he died in 1842. I have also found several of William and Anne’s children, born in Calcutta, one of whom was my direct ancestor, who moved to South Africa in the 1820 Settler venture.

If you have any documents, or may know of any, that may mention him, (ie things to do with the school and the church in his capacity as a teacher and vestry clerk) I would be most grateful if you could point me in their direction! It is currently a mystery as to whereabouts in Britain William came from, and he is a bit of brick wall at the moment in my attempts to reach further back in time along the branches of my family tree. If you can help in any way, I would be most grateful indeed!

May I compliment you on your website, which is very interesting indeed! Thank you for your hard work on this most interesting subject!

Thank you Mike for your nice comment and for informing me of your research on William Barnfield, your ancestor. I see you have already gathered some vital data and hope you get further details from sources related to Lalbazar Church and the old Charity School. I suggest you post query at India British-Raj https://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/…/india-british-raj@rootsweb.com/…/FGWNW6O4W… if not yet done. If I chance to come across any reference I would most certainly send you over. Warm wishes

Found 2 Mentions

1. “On the 14th March 1806 Mr. Henry Swinhoe and his wife executed the neadful Deed, conveying the land to the Trusteee who had been nominated, William Carey, Joshua Marshm&n, William Ward, William Moore, missionaries, and Michael Deroeio, Peter Lindeman, William Barnfield, George Samuel Hutteman, James Rolt and James Moffat for the erection of a Chapel for all Denominations of Christians.” [The Story of the Lall Bazar Baptist Church, Calcutta: Being the History of Carey’s Church from … / Edward Steane Wenger. 1908. https://archive.org/details/storylallbazarb00wenggoog/page/n52%5D

2. Charitable Fund for the relief of Distressed Europeans and others, established 26th of June 1800.
By order of the Vestry, \ (Sd.)
William Barnfield,
Cleric of the Vestry
The 16th December 1802

Thank you ever so much for your reply and help. I was aware of the extract from the book about William Carey’s church, and William Barnfield being a trustee, but I hadn’t found any of his work in the vestry! I shall add that to my information.

Thank you again. I have subscribed to your blog, so I’ll return with interest!

Thanks Hemal,
Your interest is beyond the scope of my website, and I have no personal collections either.
However, I locate a site that may allow you to download the following file in .pdf format:
Apastamba-Grhyasutra,with Haradatta’s Anakulaand Sudarsana’s Grhyatatparyadarsana The edtion may not be good enough for your purpose.
Download location: http://www.scribd.com as per their terms, athttp://gretil.sub.uni-goettingen.de/gretil/1_sanskr/1_veda/5_vedang/2_grhya/apastgcu.htm
I am sure you should find more if you search further.
Best wishes

PS. This GRETIL version has been converted from a custom Devanagari encodingwith partly inconsistent segmentation of words and phrases.The text is not proof-read!

Hi, I have been researching the autobiography of Sunity Devee (daughter of Keshub Chundra Sen), who was born in the Coolootola neighborhood of Kolkata in 1864 [her spellings] (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/57175/57175-h/57175-h.htm). Do you have any notions of which present-day subregion of Kolkata that neighborhood included in the mid-19th century? I understand that present-day Calcutta Medical College is on a Colootola Street, and there is also a mosque that has this name, Colootola Markazi Masjid.

Hello Robert,
It is not so easy anymore to define Colootolah or any subregions of the city since the parah or neighbour/ neighbourhood concept is outmoded. I have collected few pieces of information to help your research:

Adjacent to Mohammed Ali Park, there used to be a heritage house, that I have seen in my younger days, which had a board named- Here lived Keshab Chandra Sen. This house is now replaced by a multi-storeyed house that still carries a plaque facing Chittaranjan Avenue, stating – Here lived Keshab Chandra Sen.Its earlier address was Colootola Street.

The house of Keshab Chandra Sen, adjacent to Mohammed Ali Park, got demolished inspite of it being Heritage B structure. There is a big multi-storeyed in that place with a plaque in the street-facing wall- Here lived Keshab Chandra Sen.

It is a pity, a shame that we are continuing to exchange our heritage with our immediate comfy lifestyle and material gains for which we shut the sky, choke the air and end up into ventilators. We are dangerously mentally confined into the Present time, ignoring the Future and discarding the Past. Yet there are some dedicated souls who think otherwise and show us rays of hope. It is them who explain why and how the buildings of old London still survive keeping Dicken’s Old Curiosity Shop windows open; and curiously enough, in our country, more than two centuries old Denmark Tavern (originally English) at Serampore, and Lord Wellesley’s dream, Barrackpore Garden with its landscape and buildings, now back to life after splendidly restored. Yes, all is not lost; but that offer no consolation for many other losses, like the recent demolition of Keshab Sen’s house.

Your articles are a joy to read. I lived in Kolkata for 15 years but after leaving in 1970 visited my husband’s parents every year for the next 30 years. I have never lost touch. I am making, probably a final trip, in December – amongst other things to prepare a short talk on the EIC. Strangely enough we settled in Shropshire which has a castle where I do voluntary work. Its owner, 1595 was a founder member of the EIC, hence the connection and heightened interest. I can see that you give permission to quote parts of your work. Is there anything which should NOT be used or you would prefer me not to quote? I look forward to your reply but mainly, Thank you for the fascinating content within the site.

You are most welcome Barbara to use materials from my posts. You may, however, like to let me have a look before you do, to eliminate chances of uncalled for embarrassment. The story of your love with this city, your current placement in the old Castle with EIC connections, and the topic of your talk – all bring you close to puronokolkata. And your living in Shropshire – the land of Blandings Castle wins hearts of those fond of Wodehouse, like me. Warm wishes

Dear Mr Mukherjee Thank you for your response to my comments on your puronokolkata site. I am happy to do what you suggest i.e submit the draft for you to give it the ‘once over’ but how is this to be done? I don’t think you want 4 pages of my stuff snarling up the site and frankly I’m not sure I would want everyone to read what is basically a talk with a few of my opinions thrown in. What I’m trying to say is, like the James Bond film, it would be for your eyes only. Let me clarify the nature of the talk. It is a draft currently prepared in WORD which I will eventually transfer to POWERPOINT. I give the talk with my own laptop and projector and it lasts about 45minutes. After that the front row usually falls asleep. As I mentioned, I do voluntary work at Chirk Castle (first owned by Queen Elizabeth I, then bought by Sir Thomas Myddleton one of the original founders of the EIC). We have been asked to give talks to our colleagues on any subject which we feel might interest them hence my interest to expand on the EIC. As a talk it is a different animal to the details in your wonderful research. It is decidedly meant to be more informal but I want it to reflect accuracy. Considering the above, what suggestions do you have to view the content. I think the options boil down to Letter post, email or personal delivery after December 2nd. I will be staying in the family home in New Alipore until December 14th and I can give you a mobile phone number for contact if you so choose.Regards and many thanks for your interest.BARBARA MAITRA

Hello Barbara,
Many thanks for sharing with us some prefatory details of your talk. We would look forward to read the paper after your talk over. Meanwhile, for my eyes only you may mail relevant portions of your text at asoknath.m@gmail.com. When in Kolkata, I wish you find time to say ‘hello’ on my mobile phone # 9831240820. Warm regards

hello, I am a young french student and I am very interested by your country and more precisely Kolkata, your work is a very good “job” and I learning many things. But there is one thing didn’t found et perhaps you could indicate me, it’s a number of inhabitants in Kolkata and in Dalhouisie
square. Thank you by advance and one more time “Bravo” for your blog

Hello Judith,
Thanks for your interest in Puronokolkata initiative. It is my pleasure to provide some census information you may find useful.
1. The first complete census was taken. The population then enumerated for the whole area of modern Calcutta was 611,784, which grew to 612,307 in 1881, to 682,305 in 1891, and to 847,796 in 1901. On the last two occasions the increases have amounted to 11 and 24 per cent, respectively.
in 1752 Howell calculated the population at 409,000, though this was probably an over-estimate, as the number of houses was still less than 15,000.
The population of Calcutta in 1901 was 847,796, the mean density being 41 persons per acre for the whole city, and 68 in Calcutta proper. …
2. Judged by European standards, the city is seriously overcrowded; more than half the population have less than half a room per head and 90 percent, have three-quarters of a room, or less. In Burra Bazar no less than 9,531 persons out of 31,574 are crowded four or more into each room.
3. Only a third of the population of Calcutta in 1901 had been born there : half had been born in other parts of Bengal and one-seventh in other parts of india. the number of persons born in other countries in Asia is 2,973, in Europe 6,701, in Africa 96, in America 175, in Australia 80, and at sea 9.
4. In the whole population there are only half as many women as men.
5. No less than 57 different languages are spoken by people living in Calcutta, of which 41 are Asiatic and 16 non-Asiatic. the Bengali-speaking
6. population numbers 435,000 and the Hindi-speaking 319,000. about 31,000 persons speak Oriya, 29,000 English, and 24,000 Urdu.
7. By religion 65 per cent are Hindus, 29-4 per cent, Muhammadans, and 4 per cent. Christians, leaving only about 1 per cent, for all other religions combined.

Stumbled upon this site by accident when I was researching old hotel buildings. What an incredible site you have created – can see the labour of love. Possible to get some more info? Can you share an email ID?

The work you do here is appreciated by many, myself included. Is anyone able to signpost me to someone who would do some (paid) research for me, tracking down the cemeteries where my grandparents lie and other information I need?

Thanks Mandy for your kind words. I am fully aware of the desperate situation you may have in hunting materials from remote end. I can’t offer you, however, any solution. If I find someone capable of working for you I will surely come back to you. My wishes – Asok

I have just completed my research for a book on Old Retail Shops of Calcutta. i have a list of 75 shops which are are still operational. the oldest started in 1850 and the youngest on my list opened in 1947. All pre-independence. I am looking for information/photographs of mainly old British shops which no longer exist – the last to shut, sadly was Bourne & Shepard in 2016.

1 ) Deschamps & Co.

2) Great Eastern Stores.

3) Hamilton & Co.

4) Kellner & Co.

5) Lazarus & Co.

6) Leslie & Co.

7) Walter Locke & Co.

8) Manton & Co.

9) Morrison & Cottle.

10) Phelps & Co.

11) Rankin & Co.

12) Stewart & Co.

13) Thacker Spink & Co.

14) Francis Harrison Hathway & Co.

15) Federico Peleti.

16) Watts & Co.

17) Whiteways and Laidlaw.

18) Bathgate Chemist.

19) Karmalaya – Indian Department Store.

20) Bourne & Shepard.

The above mentioned shops will be in the last Chapter of the Book ” They Also Served”.

Thanks Ashish,
I think it is always good to start by defining your problem. I am not too sure if all the names of your list can be identified as retailers. Here are some relevant references that you may like to consult
Book
“Calcutta” Street’s Indian and Colonial Mercantile Directory for 1869 (Google Books)
Article
• “The Early History of Morrison & Cottle (Private) Ltd., a Producer-Retail Enterprise of Calcutta” by Christine Furedy, Bengal Past and Present, Volume XCVIII, Part I, 1979 html version; Original Microsoft Word document, a download to your computer, which must then be opened.
• “Pioneers in Leather Goods” by Christine Furedy in B. Sarkar (ed.), Capital Book of Nostalgia, Calcutta, Capital Press, 1980, pp.16-17. html version; Original Microsoft Word document, a download to your computer, which must then be opened.
• “Era of Mail-Order Shopping” “Series of Articles on the History of Retail Trade in Calcutta.” Capital, Vol 183, No. 4587, December 24, 1979, pp 4-10. html version; Original Microsoft Word document, a download to your computer, which must then be opened.
• “Retail Trade in Calcutta:Offshoot from the land of shopkeepers.” Capital, Vol 183, No. 4587, December 24, 1979, pp 4-10. html version; Original Microsoft Word document, a download to your computer, which must then be opened.
• “Development of Modern Elite Retailing in Calcutta, 1880-1920” by Christine Furedy The Indian Economic and Social History Review, Vol. XVI, No. 4 1980, pp. 378-394. html version; Original Microsoft Word document, a download to your computer, which must then be opened.
• “British Tradesmen of Calcutta 1830-1900: A preliminary study of their economic and political roles” by Christine Furedy in C.B. Sealy (ed.) Women Politics and Literature in Bengal east Lansing: Asian Studies Center, Michigan State University, 1981, pp. 43-62. html version; Original Microsoft Word document, a download to your computer, which must then be opened.
• “Hall & Anderson” by Christine Furedy in B. Sarkar (ed.), Capital Book of Nostalgia, Calcutta, Capital Press, 1981, pp.17-18. html version; Original Microsoft Word document, a download to your computer, which must then be opened.

All are available freely in Internet. You may also use puronokolkata.com resources. There are few on retailers. Wish you best

Found this website quite by accident while searching for Mark Wood’s 1785 map. Seems an incredible effort. I have not had time to go through all of your stuff yet, but I will. Keep up the good work.
As for my personal interests, I am a great deal interested about Calcutta and Bengal in the early nineteenth century; on which material seems to me far scarcer than about the later half of the century.

Thanks Shaswata for your kind words. Yes, published sources for the first half of the 19th century are relatively less but there remain many more unexplored or unnoticed. You may try internet for the digital resources. Almost 90% of literature I used here are hyperlinked. You may get some of your materials by following those links, if you want. Wish you best

It is great to know that such a website exists and that also made possible on a personal initiative. Great work done and hope it will continue. I am interested in the Bengali entrepreneurs of old kolkata and Bengal, like say Ramdulal Dey. More information in this regard will help.

13th January 2017 – I posted this on Rangan Datta’s site but as yet I have no further information – I gather he lives “the other side of town!!” I have reproduced my posting below and would be pleased to hear of any useful information. I should like also to hear as to how I can contact the Old Misson Church authorities (it must belong to someone!) either a POSTAL or EMAIL Address – is it a Social Centre ? or Museum ? or is it still connected with the “Church authorities” – if so who are they – all help welcomed – thanks to all. Richard Holladay
June 4, 2016 at 3:52 PMhttp://www.exetermemories.co.uk/em/_people/lovely.php
Dr Charles Newton Lovely is referred to in the link above. He is my Maternal Grandfather and I am creating a Powerpoint presentation on his life. He was the son of Rev George Lovely and was born in Calcutta in 1864. Hi father was appointed Chaplain at the Old / Mission Church in about 1863 and “George Lovely left India in January 1869 after a total service of 13 years at the Old Church. He was very popular at the Old Church, and a portrait of him was hung in the Old Church Room.”
Does the Portrait still exist and might I have a colour image of it if this is possible.
Many thanks,
Richard Holladay, Chudleigh, Devon, UK

I have traced a copy of the Book at the Lambeth Palace Library in London and they will, for a fee, look through it for me (though if you visit the Library it can be viewed for free).
My emails to the Bishop of Calcutta have been as yet unanswered and if you visit the Diocese Website I cannot find the Old or Mission Church Listed under their 30 + churches they control Have you, or anyone reading this know who the appropriate authorities are for this Church and how to contact them by email or a Postal Address – Help really appreciated as I feel if I can get someone in the Church, with Camera and into the Old Church Room then my question will be answered and hopefully an image on its way to me !!
We can but dream
Richard H

Hello Richard,
It is disheartening to know that you still awaiting a reply from Bishop’s office. Did you try their phone # +91-33-22825259? Wish I could do more. Please Keep in touch and keep hope. Warm regards

I live in England but my father was born in Calcutta (1909) to Portuguese parents. It was lovely seeing the image of the Sacred Heart Church where he was christened. His father was Samuel Ernest Joachim and his mother was Florence Claudius. They owned a taxi company in Calcutta. I am finding research very difficult even with the world wide web. I can’t even find a record of where they are buried and was hoping to pay my respects next year when I visit the area. However, websites like yours, even if only giving a fraction of information, are inspiring and give people like me, hope. Thank you and keep up the good work.

Sir, Thanks for your great job. I want to know what are the sources of these photographs ? Is it y’r own collections or museums and library ? Am I use these photographs for my hand-written book in bengali ? Waiting for y’r kind response. Again thanks for your precious job.

Who told that Calcutta was founded by the British Agent Job Charnock ? The Kolkata High Court in the landmark judgement delivered on 16 May, 20013 based upon an Expert Committee Report declared that “Neither Job Charnock can be regarded as the founder of Calcutta nor 24 August is the city’s birthday’….so kindly rectify the article for these type of unauthentic articles only mislead the readers…..

Let me assure you Devarshibabu, I never mind rectifying my mistake, if any. No wrong however I could see in my recent posting on Sutanuti Sahibs. Hope, you find nothing objectionable in my saying, ‘Charnock was the main instrument that worked behind the foundation of the British Empire in the East.’ I believe, the observations of the Hon’ble Calcutta High Court you quoted, is quite in harmony with my views expressed at the end of the essay.
Your citing of court verdicts was grossly inappropriate and uninvited. My earnest request to my readers, please do not bring about political / legal issues in our discussion. We need to maintain a free and fair academic atmosphere for our gathering and sharing of knowledge and information about Purono Kolkata.

Sir,I am from the City of Joy, now residing in Bangalore. Calcutta has a special place in my heart and your pictures do help transport oneself down the passage of time to those bygone days when Kolkata was regarded as the second city of the Empire.Hoping to see more sepia tinted pictures of my city….albeit thro’ trams,
roads, palatial buildings, maybe vintage electric lifts. Keep up the good work.

Dear Anirban,
I had a terrible time with my Net connectivity for a long while. That was why I could not response to your kind words earlier. I very much share your feelings for Calcutta as she was, and assure you of my honest commitment to this project as you wish.
Wis you Happy New Year!

I had been to Calcutta thrice before. It makes me feel nostalgic.. I appreciate your initiative from my heart…
In my next trip to Calcutta I want to explore its colonial charm.. Your website would help me a lot. I am a devotee of Sri Ramakrishna and was always interested to see Calcutta and west bengal of that time.. 1980s. Thank you for these wonderful pictures.
Thanks and regards,
Prajaktta

Hi, I’m recently started writing a blog on old Kolkata where I’m planning to present various facts, stories, myths and information about old Kolkata. Do you mind if I take relevant photos from here and include those in my posts ?

Glad to hear about your new project! You are most welcome to use my resources. I strongly believe in sharing. We may grow really useful resources only through collective approach. It is important, however, to provide addresses of the sources for necessary distribution of responsibilities. Best wishes

Hi, I’ve recently read about an interesting residential house of 18th century Kolkata- the Belgachhia Villa. It was initially constructed as the garden house of Prince Dwarakanath Tagore, later it was owned by the Paikpara zaminders. This famous house was also used later as a theatre house and Michael Madhusudan Dutta’s play ‘Sharmistha’ was first staged here. This house still exists almost intact near Belgachiia metro. I’m writing here to know if there is any picture or painting of this house available in the archival documents.

Great initiative. My ancestor, John Buller, was based in Kolkata from 1792 to 1802 as a member of the Board of Revenue. He was married (and later divorced) an English lady in St John’s Anglican Church. He had 3 children with an Indian maidservant (quite common), which is where my family originated. We think his residence is now part of the Botanical Gardens. Still searching. Will share whatever we find. Cheers, Phil

Dear Phil I am currently researching John Buller for Looe Museum in Cornwall and this post came up in a search. I knew he had an Indian mistress and have read that his first wife had a bit of a reputation, but assumed the children were hers. If you receive this email would you be so kind to reply? Mark

Hello,
I am researching old buildings such as you are showing here that might be potentially renovated in to a concert hall in Kolkata.
Please contact me if you have thoughts on this matter that you would be willing to discuss.

Very appreciable effort. I too am a passionate old Calcutta enthusiast. Are you planning to do the documentary with painting and photographs only? I think it would be better if you punch with these documents relevant written information collected from reliable archival source and photos of the current remnants of some of monuments and places that are living till now, reminding us of the past of our beloved “City of Palaces”.

It is belated but my sincere thanks in appreciation of your thoughtful suggestions. Wish I had time and resources to do the kind of inputs and perhaps few more. Whatever you find here, I am afraid, is sadly just a token of things we desire. Wish you a very Happy New Year.